News from my Desk Tuesday February 19, 2013 @ 5AM

Our BLOG Breaking News page is a means of keeping our readers informed on the latest news around the clock, the full release is not published below but will appear within an upcoming edition of the Daily News - we hope that our posts are enough to alert you to any breaking news within the Lottery & Gaming Industry

Lottery Insider Embraces The Chinese New Year and Wishes all of our Readers the very best in Health and Prosperity in the year of the Snake

Annual Record for Visitation to Macau
MACAU, SAR (February 19, 2013) -- Macau welcomed a total of 9.1 million visitors coming to the city on package tours, up by 21.0 percent year-on-year, data released today by the Statistics and Census Service shows.

Motion to Block Wynn Resorts Ltd Meeting Dismissed
MACAU, SAR (February 19, 2013) -- A U.S. federal judge dismissed on Friday a motion filed by Japanese businessman Kazuo Okada to block a Wynn Resorts Ltd's special meeting on February 22, at which shareholders will vote on a proposal to remove Mr Okada from the board of directors,

Strong CNY Visitation Good For Casinos: Credit Suisse
MACAU, SAR (February 19, 2013) -- Macau's robust visitation during the Lunar New Year holidays is expected to have a positive impact on February's gross gaming revenue, Credit Suisse says. According to reports from Macau Business, the investment bank expects February to post a 10-percent increase in casino revenue, to around MOP26.7 billion (US$3.3 billion).

Union Gaming sees possible VIP surge after CNY
MACAU, SAR (February 17, 2013) -- Union Gaming analyst Grant Govertsen says that Macau's VIP gaming market could post a surge after the Lunar New Year holidays are over. "You might see a dynamic where starting next week … you might see a continued level of strength on the heels of VIP and premium guys who might have stayed away due to the big crowds,"

New Transportation Minister Backs 'Cross-Strait Gaming Zone'
TAIPEI, Taiwan (February 18, 2013) - Transportation Minister Yeh Kuang-shih on Monday backed the idea of a special cross-Taiwan strait gaming zone in support of a casino resort on Matsu but stressed that some problems still had to be resolved

New Taipei not Against Entertainment Zone Idea: Mayor
TAIPEI, Taiwan (February 18, 2013) - New Taipei "would not reject" the idea of setting up an entertainment complex in the city based on the Las Vegas model if all conditions could be met, the city's mayor, Eric Li-luan Chu, said Monday

Illegal Betting, Match Fixing and Corruption to be addressed at Interpol Conference
SYDNEY, Australia (February 19, 2013) -- Australian soccer's fight against match-fixing and corruption will be stepped up at an Interpol conference in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.

Korea's Seven Luck Increases Marketing towards China's VIP Gamblers
SEOUL, Korea (February 18, 2013) -- South Korea's Grand Korea Leisure is ramping up its marketing to Chinese gamblers.

Gambling Law Tested in Uncharted Territory
SYDNEY, Australia (February 19, 2013) -- Online gambling giant Sportsbet should be able to buck Victorian laws and offer hundreds of dollars in incentives to induce people to join its site, a court has heard .........

Holland Casino Looking for a Strong Growth Market
NETHERLANDS (February 18, 2013) -- Holland Casino intends to offer in 2014, online gambling in the form of Bingo and Poker. The state expects the government this year to be presented with a bill that will make this possible.

Action against The "Belgian Gaming Commission" (BGC) Dismissed
BRUSSELS, Belgium (February 18, 2013) -- BetClic Everest Group owned providers of "bet-at-home" have failed in a lawsuit against the Belgium Gaming Commission. The action against the "Belgian Gaming Commission" (BGC) was dismissed.

Report into SkyCity Deal To Be Released Today
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (February 19, 2013) -- The long awaited Auditor General's report into how the Government chose SkyCity to build a convention centre in Auckland is due for release today.

Switzerland to End its Ineffectual Ban on Online Gaming
Swiss government looks to liberalize its online gambling laws; consultation will begin in second half of 2013
ZURICH, Switzerland (February 18, 2013) -- Switzerland has announced a plan to introduce laws to regulate online gaming. New laws will be drafted by the Department of Justice and Police in cooperation with the representatives of each Swiss Canton, The Federal Council announced last week.

Bill To Examine Feasibility and Economic Impact Of Allowing Casino Gambling In Shelby County
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (February 18, 2013) -- Memphis lawmakers are asking for a state legislative committee to examine the feasibility and economic impact of allowing casino gambling in Shelby County.

Prime Minister Confident Government will be cleared in Convention report
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (February 19, 2013) -- Prime Minister John Key is confident a report by the Auditor-General's office will clear the way for the Government to negotiate a deal with Sky City Casino to build an international convention centre in Auckland.

Betsson Signs License Deal With 3D Games Specialist Sheriff Gaming
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (February 18, 2013) -- Sheriff Gaming has today announced that Betsson will be the next Quickfire licensee to integrate its popular slot games, "The Amsterdam Master Plan" and "Dr Magoo" in to its games portfolio with the intention of delivering a full suite of innovative 3D games over the coming months.

INSPIRED Closes In On Launch of Virtual Sports In Italy Inspired welcomes the commencement of the AAMS process to certify its world leading Virtual Sports platform in Italy
LONDON, UK (February 18, 2013) -- Inspired Gaming Group, the supplier of the world's most advanced virtual sports products, today welcomes the commencement of the virtual sports homologation process in Italy as announced by AAMS on 15 February. Inspired has already signed virtual sports license deals with six major Italian operators: SNAI, Sisal, Eurobet, INTRALOT, Cogetech, and Lottomatica representing circa 90% of the Italy betting market. Further online and retail licenses will be announced soon.

MPN, Formerly the Microgaming Poker Network, Bad Beat Jackpot Reaches All-Time High Of €793,000; Revamped Jackpot On The Way
ISLE OF MAN (February 18, 2013) -- It's all change for the Bad Beat Jackpot on the MPN (www.thempn.eu), but not before one player walks away from the tables with a mind melting, monolithic mound of moolah!

Paddy Power plc Preliminary Results Analyst Presentation
DUBLIN, Ireland (February 18, 2013) -- Paddy Power plc will present preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2012 to analysts at 9:00am on Tuesday 5 March 2013 at the Merrion Hotel, Upper Merrion St,

Casinos Increasingly Looking Towards Electronic Gambling products to Boost Profits
LAS VEGAS (February 18, 2013) -- Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MGM Resorts International (MGM) and Wynn Resorts (WYNN), the world's three largest casino companies, are all expecting new electronic gambling products to boost profits.


National People's Congress Visit Coincides at a Time Where the Government Is Tightening up Its Monitoring of Macau's Gaming Industry
MACAU, SAR (February 17, 2013) -- The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Wu Bangguo, will visit Macau from Wednesday to Friday to attend events on the promulgation of Basic Law, during which he will also visit the new campus of the University of Macau in Hengqin

Lottery Scam to Feature High on Agenda at Washington Meeting
KINGSTON, Jamaica (February 17, 2013) -- The lotto scam will be high on the agenda when Minister of National Security Peter Bunting and Justice Minister Mark Golding travel to the United States (US) this week.

Non-Disclosure of Deal by IGT Now Adding to Negative Publicity
LAS VEGAS (February 17, 2013) -- The gaming media have picked up on a small piece of news relating to the non-disclosure of a deal on a slot machine maker's purchase of a small social gaming technology company last year.

Does the Game of Bingo Constitute an Illegal Form of Gambling
MANILA, Philippines (February 17, 2103) - The game of Bingo is the Philippines appears to be sitting in a relatively grey area, even the spokesperson of the Philippine National Police (PNP) admitted that the law prohibiting illegal gambling did not specify if bingo and other similar games of chance might be considered unlawful.

Sportingbet Shareholders to Weigh Decision by Thursday
LONDON, UK (February 16, 2013) -- Sportingbet's shareholders have until Thursday to decide whether to back the £485?million offer from William Hill and GVC Holdings, with observers suggesting they are waiting until the last minute to decide

The National Lottery Strong on Facebook and concentrates 10% of its Media Budget on a Social Network Presence.
BRUSSELS, Belgium (February 17, 2013) -- According to a study by the Social Agency Lab, the Lottery is an advertiser who values its presence on Facebook. Nearly 5 million Belgians are now registered on Facebook. 65% of them attend the social network every day and 85% once a week, according to the site statistics.

Spain Resumes Lottery Loan Plan for Liquidity Fund
MADRID, Spain (February 17, 2013) -- The Spanish government has decided to resume the plan to raise six billion euros ($8 billion) through a loan backed by the country's lottery giant Sociedad Estatal de Loterias y Apuestas del Estado SA.

Echo Entertainment Embarks on Sweeping Cost Cutting Program, Revamp of Ideas and a Roll Out of Multi-Terminal Electronic Gaming Machines to Compete with Rivals
SYDNEY, Australia (February 18, 2013) -- Echo Entertainment plans to roll out more multi-terminal electronic gaming machines and merge the majority of its customer service functions onto the internet in a sweeping cost cutting program of the groups casino operations

Casino Bar Opens on Mainland, Operates on Resort Coins
MACAU, SAR (February 17, 2013) -- Operating under the gambling ban set up by the Chinese government, a "casino bar" newly opened in Hainan province attracts glances worldwide.

New Restrictions on Money Laundering Being Felt by Macau Casino Industry
MACAU, SAR (February 17, 2013) -- Macao, the world's largest gambling hub, saw its casino revenue increase at the slowest pace at least since 2009, as more Chinese gamblers are willing to travel further and new restrictions on money-laundering are being felt.  


China's Union Lotto Marks 10th Anniversary
BEIJING, China (February 17, 2013) -- Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of the launch of Union Lotto, a leading welfare lottery in China.

Foreign Illegal Website having an Impact on Returns for the Taiwan Sports Lottery
TAIPEI, Taiwan (February 17, 2013) -- The NT$8.3 billion (US$279.7 million ) losses accumulated by Taipei Fubon Bank over the last five years while issuing domestic sports lottery tickets were largely due to customers' spending at foreign lottery websites, according to local lottery retailers

Lotteries Commission Cited for an Increase in Problem Gambling Figures
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (February 18, 2013) -- New figures show a sharp rise in gambling problems linked to Lotto, and health officials are accusing large Jackpots of contributing to the rise in figures

Sportingbet Shareholders to Weigh Decision by Thursday
LONDON, UK (February 16, 2013) -- Sportingbet's shareholders have until Thursday to decide whether to back the £485?million offer from William Hill and GVC Holdings, with observers suggesting they are waiting until the last minute to decide

Unusual Move by Attorney General to Block the Press Access at Major Announcement
Kane refused to take questions; reporters were told to submit questions via e-mail to be answered later. Franklin and Marshall College political analyst Terry Madonna says the move was unusual, to say the least.